Southern Discomfort Summary Essays

Southern Discomfort Summary Essays Southern Discomfort Summary Essay Southern Discomfort Summary Essay Jim Malesckowski received a call from his boss, who wanted him to go to Mexico and determine some figures for their manufacturing company. Their present plant is in Oconomo, Wisconsin, where they employ 520 people. Oconomo is a small town of just under 10,000 people and jobs are limited, so the company provides some help to their poor economy. Jim’s boss is thinking about moving the plant into Mexico where he could cut costs dramatically, saving the company millions of dollars each year. The workers of the company are part of a labor union that negotiates wages and duties with the company. The union does not want its workers to earn lower wages or become cross trained to do many different jobs. Jim is stuck between a rock and a hard place because his boss wants him to report the findings in Mexico yet Jim knows if he does then the plant will most likely move into Mexico. The company will save a lot of money in production and labor costs if they move but it will take away 520 full time jobs from the people of Oconomo. Jim needs to figure out what to tell his boss when he meets with his boss the next day. Assumptions: It is assumed that this is a very difficult decision for Jim to make. Businesses are faced with this problem all the time. If the business moves to Mexico then surely they will save money and have more money to invest with. It is assumed that Jim doesn’t want to be the bearer of bad news in the town of Oconomo where he would have to tell the workers that they are going to be laid off because the company is moving its plant to Mexico. Both sides of the situation must be heavily thought out as no quick decision can be made here. Main Concern: The main concern is for Jim to figure out what he is going to tell his boss. Jim needs to make a decision as to what he will report to his boss on the situation in Mexico. Vantage Points: The first vantage point is that Jim will tell his boss about the cheap labor costs in Mexico and in turn the company will move its plant. Jim may not want to do this but his job is on the line in what he reports to his boss. The second vantage point is for Jim to lie to his boss about Mexico and say that it’s not a good idea for the company to move its plant into Mexico. By doing this Jim would be saving the jobs of 520 full time employees in the town of Oconomo. The next option for Jim would be to tell his boss about the opportunity in Mexico but say the timing is not right and offer to move the plant in a couple of years. This would give the employees of the plant in Oconomo enough time to find other jobs in the surrounding areas so they are not just thrown out with nothing. Diagnosis: The first option of Jim telling his boss about the cheap costs of Mexico has a lot of positives aspects. If the company moves the plant into Mexico they will no doubt save millions of dollars each year in production and labor costs. The company would then have more money to invest with, possibly in another plant somewhere else, more money to invest in a bank, or more money to pay dividends to stakeholders. After all, the goal of just about every business is to make money in order to pay back its stakeholders. So by moving the plant to Mexico, the company would be achieving its main goal. The problem with moving the plant would be that many people would lose their full time income by getting laid off by the company. Over 520 people would no longer be employed in the town, and many families would have no source of income because the town is small and the jobs are scarce. The plant offers many jobs and opportunity to the town because the plant is the center piece of the town where many of its residence hold jobs. So if the company left for Mexico, the town and its people would be negatively affected by the move. The next option for Jim to tell his boss is to not move the company to Mexico and stay put in the town of Oconomo. Jim feels bad for the employees of the company if the plant was to move down to Mexico and almost wants to protect them. Jim has to decide is he thinks the move to Mexico is ethically correct. Some think that outsourcing to other countries is wrong and shouldn’t be done but big businesses argue that it’s fine in order to cut costs. But, if the company stays put then they will be spending way more money then necessary on labor costs because the union won’t cut prices. So the business has to argue why spend more money if they can do it for cheaper somewhere else. It just like if you could buy the same car from Japan for cheaper then you could in Detroit you would be crazy not to buy it in Japan. The business has the same mentality because their main goal as a company is to turn as much revenue as possible. If Jim was to tell his boss that the move was not a good idea at the present time but should be reevaluated at a different time, then this would give the employees enough time to find jobs elsewhere. Jim doesn’t want to lay off his workers but doesn’t want to disappoint his boss at the same time so by telling his boss to wait, he is satisfying both of his parties. Cheap labor will most likely always be available in other countries so the company will not miss that opportunity. By waiting a few years to move the plant into Mexico, the employees will have plenty of time to deal with the coming change.

How to Self-Educate with Reading the Right Books

How to Self-Educate with Reading the Right Books How to Read Useful Books that Don't Interest You Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and Warren Buffet read nearly 50 books a year. Impressed? These people have achieved colossal success and became famous throughout the world. Are they the richest, the most successful, or the most intelligent ones? This can be learned from the things they like to read and what motivates them in their lives. Well, you must agree that Bill Gates would not find novels exciting in his everyday life but would prefer books that develop and teach interesting things. The crucial point is that when choosing non-fiction books, you have to succeed with the content and find only high-quality information so as not to waste your time. But often it happens that people remain unhappy with their choice – usually, non-fiction books are not quite readable and are poorly perceived by the reader. They don’t pay attention to anything and, as a result, lose interest in self-development. The question is: â€Å"How to choose the right books and how to read them effectively and wisely?† What’s Wrong with Non-Fiction Books? If you come to any bookstore in your city, you will probably come across a ton of fiction books. Fiction books are specially designed and written to grab the attention of the buyer and make him purchase a book. If you do not pay attention to the cover then after looking inside and scanning a few pages, you still want to buy it. What is the reason? Fiction books are written in such a cunning way to always excite the reader and make him read every word attentively not to miss a single detail and read ‘till the very end. The focus is on the story: if the book has an interesting plot, since humans are curious, we are likely to read the whole written piece. Has it ever occurred to you that you found a non-fiction book as much exciting as a novel? Then you are just lucky and hit the right content. Unscientific books always cause more interest than scientific ones, although there is less meaning in them. In scientific books, in most cases, there is no plot, but they are made to answer an important question, teach some things, describe certain processes and so on. Of course, fiction books can also be useful, they increase vocabulary, contribute to the development of creativity and abstract thinking and also help find a common interest with people in some way. But, if you have a goal of self-educating and improving potential skills, you should give preference to self-improvement books. How to Choose the Right Self-Improvement Book? Quite often we hear such a statement "useful books are not always interesting, is it worth reading them?". The answer is simple: of course, they worth it. But you need to do this carefully, by following certain rules that help you maintain interest in reading useful books. First, you need to understand why you need a certain self-improvement book. Choose the study area or branch of knowledge and get the right context. Secondly, analyze your current life situation and think thoroughly about what you need. If you are looking for ways to make money, then read books about business marketing. If you want to get rid of any restrictions in your life and find peace - find a book about psychology. It is important here to clearly understand what you want, then you will always have the interest to read and also your current needs will get satisfied. A few small but useful tips for those who want to start reading self-improvement books: 1. Analyze yourself and your current life situation. As mentioned earlier, you should have a clear understanding of what is happening in your life at the moment. By analyzing yourself and your life situation, you will be able to realize your main problems and choose the most interesting and important questions for you. 2. Come up with the approximate answer. After introspection and identification of the main problem, visualize the solution to this problem or find an approximate answer to the question you need. After that, drive in the search for the name of your main problem and look for the desired option. 3. Evaluate a book before buying it. And the last advice for today - when seeking a book you need for self-development, be vigilant and carefully inspect the book. If you are searching online, read the positive and negative feedback from people, and also download the introductory part of the book. If you decide to buy a book in a regular store, look at its cover, read about the author, and think whether this book can help you.

Sponsorship Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Sponsorship Proposal - Essay Example The forthcoming three years extends an opportunity to the R+D division of our regional business, as the national company ramps up to accelerate market share. Our innovative staff knows Oz, and nowhere on this planet might photographers find a better aquatic venue for employing our new NIKONOS series cameras than our Great Barrier Reef. To this end, we request consideration of our request for AUS $ 3 million to support our efforts toward introduction of our new NIKONOS SoPA (South Pacific) model, and to enhance our potential to exceed expectations in terms of consumer impact in the sports camera market. The initiation of the NIKONOS SoPa is Nikon Australia's latest regional product. Unique to our national expansion in underwater photography, the new South Pacific model debuts here in Australia, with global extension of the complete underwater camera equipment line by 2014. Roll out of the SoPa is scheduled to proceed in the South Pacific region by 2012. Marketed through new and traditional media, events, press and tourism, the camera is slated to hit the Australian market in September of 2010, the commencement of our Summer season. Research and development is looking for new ways to enhance the quality of the lens in the product, as new instruments are tested, and risk assessment applied to development and manufacturing of forthcoming models. The NIKONOS SoPa series camera is prefaced forty years of underwater photographic use. The popularity of the camera's versatility is shown to us year after year, as customers communicate the durability and performance of Nikon's technology in bad weather conditions, and exposure to water spray. Our customers are sports people. One only has to look to the creativity of Japanese sports fans utilizing the NIKONOS at beer-pouring parties in celebration of the professional baseball championships to understand the effectiveness of our product. The NIKONOS goes where single-lens reflex cameras cannot. As we move toward the latter half of 2010, we are proud to maintain that our efforts to provide globe with technology that has not rival have succeeded. Unparalleled in market segment, our NIKONOS series cameras are not to be beat by competitors. The reality is that our underwater cameras are a synergy of distinctive technological factors. At Nikon, all of our products are crafted with the highest degree of engineering expertise. From research, design and development to careful manufacturing, the Nikon brand bears the mark of distinction and quality. The waterproof capability of the NIKONOS series cameras is the result of a composition of integrated lenses, Speedlight, and a seamless systemic compatibility with the product's line of underwater sports technology accessories. Discontinuation of the NIKONOS in the 1990s has allowed us much time to consider this vintage product's potential and its legacy. In the field of underwater photography, the method for taking pictures involves 'a land-use single-lens reflex camera enclosed in water pressure-resistant casing, or housing' (Nikon 2010). Steady evolution of this process drove professionals to newer options in aquatic imaging. However, in response to much demand by fans of the former, discontinued NIKONOS camera series, Nikon has decided to reintroduce the product,

Field Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Field - Assignment Example His last attempt to close the deal was to tell me that if I signed their contract today, I could be in a new apartment tomorrow. I thanked him and said goodbye. The next salesperson I talked to was another on-site salesperson named Mark. This was at a retail clothing store with a lot of different departments. Compared to Dan, Mark seemed rushed and nervous. I asked him about finding some good chino pants, and he looked and saw that I was already carrying a jacket, and then told me, to my surprise, that I would have to leave the sports jacket with him, and then go upstairs to look at chinos. I told Mark that I was going to take my jacket with me, because I was going to buy it, and that I wanted to do this while looking at chinos. He appeared flustered at this. As he was getting more flustered, I told him that I could leave the sports jacket with him, but that I probably wouldn’t buy it. He seemed OK with this. Then, another salesperson stepped in, and told me where I could take the elevator to the chinos section. I said to Mark, â€Å"That’s all you needed to tell me, right there.† These were two very different experiences. Mark was not effective, and Dan was. Dan was not pushy, and Mark was. Dan did not act nervous or flustered. He was more interested in what I could do, and getting me to say â€Å"yes.† Mark was more interested in what I couldn’t do, and kept saying â€Å"no† to me. I responded very differently to these two salespeople. When I am in contact with a salesperson, I am looking for someone who is relaxed, calm, confident, and

Time and Truth Essay Example for Free

Time and Truth Essay The unreal in English is used to talk about things in your imagination, but which are not true. The unreal is often used with if and wish. Present Unreal Conditional The present unreal talks about the present time, life today, right now, but imagining (or wishing) something that is untrue. In a wish sentence, or in an if-clause, you use the past tense to show that the verb is unreal about the present. The main clause (often called the â€Å"result† clause) uses would: If I had a lot of money, I would buy a house. (The truth is that you don’t have a lot of money. ) If I knew Japanese, I would work in Tokyo. (The truth is that you don’t know Japanese. ) I wish I had a better job. If I had a good job, I would be much happier. (The truth is that you don’t have a good job. ) I wish I knew how to type. If I knew how to type, I would be able to get a better job. (The truth is that you don’t know how to type. ) The verb to be is always were in the unreal, no matter who the subject is: He wishes he were the mayor. If he were mayor, he would solve the homeless problem. (The truth is that he is not the mayor. ) If I were taller, I would play basketball. I wish I were six feet tall. (The truth is that you are not tall. ) Exercise 1. She doesn’t speak English, so she doesn’t understand you. If she ____________ English, she ______________________ you. 2. He can’t drive, so he won’t buy a car. If he _________________________, he _____________________ a car. 3. He isn’t rich, so he won’t buy a beach house. If he _____________________ rich, he ___________________ a beach house. 4. He eats too much, so he’s fat. If he ________________________ too much, he ___________________ fat. [Note: You need to use didn’t in this sentence. ] Past Unreal Conditional (Rick Shur, page 2 of 2) A wished or imagined idea about a past event is called the past unreal. The verb in the wish clause or if-clause is put in the past perfect (had + past participle) to show the past unreal. The main clause (the â€Å"result† clause) will use would have + past participle. When I was a child, I hated school. (This is the truth, what really happened. You hated school.) If I had liked school better, I would have studied and [I would have] learned more. I wish I had been a better student as a boy. I wish I had had better teachers, too. I wish my parents had forced me to do my homework. (The truth is that you didn’t like school, you didn’t study, you didn’t learn, you were not a good student, you didn’t have good teachers, and your parents didn’t force you to do your homework. ) If she had reminded me that yesterday was her birthday, I would have bought her a present. At least, I would have sent her a card. (The truth is that she didn’t remind you, so you didn’t buy her a present. ) I wish the Mets had won the game last night! If they had won, I would have made a lot of money. If the Mets had beaten the Yankees, I would have won $200. (The truth is that the Mets didn’t win, and you didn’t win any money. You lost! ) Exercise 1. She didn’t give me her phone number, so I wasn’t able to call her. If she ___________________________ her phone number, I ________________________________able to call her. 2. He didn’t have his wallet with him last night, so he didn’t buy the book. If he ____________________________ his wallet with him, he ________________________________ the book. 3. They didn’t get to the airport in time, so they missed their flight. If they __________________________ to the airport in time, they ________________________________ their flight. [Note: You need to use wouldn’t in this sentence! ] 4. He wasn’t able to open the wine bottle, so they didn’t drink wine. If he ___________________________ able to open the wine bottle, they _______________________________ wine.

F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby :: essays research papers

Crossing the porch where we had dined that June night three months before, I came to a small rectangle of light which I guessed was the pantry window. The blind was drawn, but I found a rift at the sill. Tom and Daisy were sitting across one another at the kitchen table. They were engaged in a conversation. Tom was talking intently across the table to Daisy with his hand covering her own, as she stared at the cold chicken that lay on the table. â€Å"Daisy, are you okay?† Tom asked her in a gentle tone. â€Å"Yes, I’m fine Tom. Why wouldn’t I be?† she replied after a moment. â€Å"Daisy, I saw some trouble on the road. George Wilson’s wife was killed. You know the fella that owns that garage? A car killed her. They described it as a new big yellow car. It was Gatsby’s car.† Daisy’s face was filled with fear as she slowly stood up and walked around the room. â€Å"She was†¦she was killed?† Daisy questioned in a trembling voice. After a moment, Daisy went to sit back in her chair and stared at the cold chicken that lay on the table again. She then faced Tom with a struggle to keep a convincing face. â€Å"Tom, it was an accident,† she finally said. â€Å"Now listen Daisy, I don’t want you seeing this Gatsby fella anymore. The coward didn’t even stop his car.† There was a sense of sadness in Tom’s eyes as he had said those words. Although Myrtle was killed, Tom was still very concerned about Daisy and Gatsby’s affair. â€Å"Daisy do you want to tell me what has been going on with you and Gatsby all this time?† Tom asked her. Daisy suddenly turned sharply at Tom, â€Å"speak for yourself Tom. What about your little affairs? How many times have you gone on one of your sprees?† I saw Tom as a hypocrite. Even though he was off having a shameless affair with Myrtle, he still condemns Daisy for having an affair with Gatsby. Daisy turned from Tom and began to sob, â€Å"did it ever come to your mind Tom that I need a little some love too?† Tom’s enormous masculine body rose and moved closer towards her. His powerful arms touched her affectionately and he said, â€Å"Daisy, you know that I love you. You’re worth a three hundred thousand dollar pearl necklace to me.† I could see that Tom and Daisy weren’t happy, but yet they weren’t unhappy either, and maybe they really did love each other.

The Return: Midnight Chapter 14

The next morning Elena noticed that Meredith stil looked pale and languid, and that her eyes slid away if Stefan happened to glance at her. But this was a time of crisis, and as soon as the breakfast dishes were washed, Elena cal ed a meeting in the parlor. There she and Stefan explained what Meredith had missed during the visit from the sheriffs. Meredith smiled wanly when Elena told how Stefan had banished them like stray dogs. Then Elena told the story of her out-of-body experience. It proved one thing, at least, that Bonnie was alive and relatively well. Meredith bit her lip when Mrs. Flowers said this, for it only made her want to go and get Bonnie out of the Dark Dimension personal y. But on the other hand, Meredith wanted to stay and wait for Alaric's photographs. If that would save Fel ‘s Church†¦ No one at the boardinghouse could question what had happened on the Island of Doom. It was happening here, on the other side of the world. Already a couple of parents in Fel ‘s Church had had their children taken away by the Virginia Department of Child Protective Services. Punishments and retaliations had begun. How much longer would it be before Shinichi and Misao turned al the children into lethal weapons – or let loose those already turned? How long before some hysterical parent kil ed a kid? The group sitting in the parlor discussed plans and methods. In the end, they decided to make jars identical to those Elena and Bonnie had seen, and prayed that they could reproduce the writing. These jars, they were sure, were the means by which Shinichi and Misao were original y sealed off from the rest of the Earth. Therefore Shinichi and Misao had once fit into the rather cramped accommodations of the jars. But what did Elena's group have now that could lure them back inside? Power, they decided. Only an amount of Power so great that it was irresistible to the kitsune twins. That was why the priestess had tried to lure them back with her own blood. Now†¦it meant either the liquid in a ful star bal †¦or blood from an extraordinarily powerful vampire. Or two vampires. Or three. Everyone was sober, thinking of this. They didn't know how much blood would be needed – but Elena feared that it would be more than they can afford to lose. It had certainly been more than the priestess could afford. And then there was a silence that only Meredith could fil . â€Å"I'm sure you've al been wondering about this,†she said, producing the staff thing from thin air, as far as Elena could see. How did she do that? Elena wondered. She didn't have it with her and then she did. They al stared in the bright sunlight at the sleek beauty of the weapon. â€Å"Whoever made that,†Matt said, â€Å"had a twisted imagination.† â€Å"It was one of my ancestors,†Meredith said. â€Å"And I won't contest that.† â€Å"I have a question,†Elena said. â€Å"If you'd had that from the beginning of your training; if you'd been raised in that kind of world, would you have tried to kil Stefan? Would you have tried to kil me when I became a vampire?† â€Å"I wish I had a good answer to that,†Meredith said, her dark gray eyes pained. â€Å"But I don't. I have nightmares about it. But how can I ever say what I would have done if I'd been a different person?† â€Å"I'm not asking that. I'm asking you, the person you are, if you'd had the training – â€Å" â€Å"The training is brainwashing,† Meredith said harshly. Her composed fa?ade seemed about to break. â€Å"Okay, forget that. Would you have tried to kil Stefan, if you'd just had that staff?† â€Å"It's cal ed a fighting stave. And we're cal ed – people like my family, except that my parents dropped out – hunter-slayers.† There was a sort of gasp around the table. Mrs. Flowers poured Meredith more herbal tea from the pot sitting on a trivet. â€Å"Hunter-slayers,†repeated Matt with a certain relish. It wasn't hard to tel who he was thinking about. â€Å"You can just cal us one or the other,†Meredith was saying. â€Å"I've heard that out west they've got hunter-kil ers. But we hang on to tradition here.† Elena suddenly felt like a lost little girl. This was Meredith, her big sister Meredith, saying al of this. Elena's voice was almost pleading. â€Å"But you didn't even tel on Stefan.† â€Å"No, I didn't. And, no, I don't think I'd have had the courage to kil anyone – unless I'd been brainwashed. But I knew Stefan loved you. I knew he would never make you into a vampire. The problem was – I didn't know enough about Damon. I didn't know that you were fooling around so much. I don't think anybody knew that.†Meredith's voice was anguished, too. â€Å"Except me,†Elena said, flushing, with a lopsided smile. â€Å"Don't look so sad, Meredith. It worked out.† â€Å"You cal having to leave your family and your town because everyone knows you're dead, working out?† â€Å"I do,†Elena replied desperately, â€Å"if it means I get to be with Stefan.†She did her best not to think about Damon. Meredith looked at her blankly for a moment, then put her face in her hands. â€Å"Do you want to tel them or should I?†she asked, coming up for air and facing Stefan. Stefan looked startled. â€Å"You remember?† â€Å"Probably as much as you got from my mind. Bits and pieces. Stuff I don't want to remember.† â€Å"Okay.†Now Stefan looked relieved, and Elena felt frightened. Stefan and Meredith had a secret together? â€Å"We al know that Klaus made at least two visits to Fel ‘s Church. We know that he was – completely evil – and that on the second visit he planned to be a serial murderer. He kil ed Sue Carson and Vickie Bennett.† Elena interrupted quietly. â€Å"Or at least he helped Tyler Smal wood to kil Sue, so that Tyler could be initiated as a werewolf. And then Tyler got Caroline pregnant.† Matt cleared his throat as something occurred to him. â€Å"Uh – does Caroline have to kil somebody to be a ful werewolf, too?† â€Å"I don't think so,†Elena said. â€Å"Stefan says that having a werewolf litter is enough. Either way, blood is spil ed. Caroline wil be a ful werewolf when she has her twins, but she'l probably begin changing involuntarily before that. Right?† Stefan nodded. â€Å"Right. But getting back to Klaus: What was it he was supposed to have done on his first visit? He attacked – without kil ing – an old man who was a ful hunter-slayer.† â€Å"My grandfather,†Meredith whispered. â€Å"And he supposedly messed with Meredith's grandfather's mind so much that this old man tried to kil his wife and his three-year-old granddaughter. So what is wrong with this picture?† Elena was truly frightened now. She didn't want to hear whatever was coming. She could taste bile, and she was glad that she'd only had toast for breakfast. If only there had been someone to take care of, like Bonnie, she would have felt better. â€Å"I give up. So what is wrong?†Matt asked bluntly. Meredith was staring into the distance again. Final y Stefan said, â€Å"At the risk of sounding like a bad soap opera†¦Meredith had, or has, a twin brother.† Dead silence fel over the group in the parlor. Even Mrs. Flowers's Ma ma didn't put in a word. â€Å"Had or has?†Matt said final y, breaking the silence. â€Å"How can we know?†Stefan said. â€Å"He may have been kil ed. Imagine Meredith having to watch that. Or he could have been kidnapped. To be kil ed at a later time – or to become a vampire.† â€Å"And you real y think her parents wouldn't tel her?†Matt demanded. â€Å"Or would try to make her forget? When she was – what, three already?† Mrs. Flowers, who had been quiet a long time, now spoke sadly. â€Å"Dear Meredith may have decided to block out the truth herself. With a child of three it's hard to say. If they never got her professional help†¦Ã¢â‚¬ She looked a question at Meredith. Meredith shook her head. â€Å"Against the code,†she said. â€Å"I mean, strictly speaking, I shouldn't be tel ing any of you this, and especial y not Stefan. But I couldn't stand it anymore†¦having such good friends, and constantly deceiving them.† Elena went over and hugged Meredith hard. â€Å"We understand,†she said. â€Å"I don't know what wil happen in the future if you decide to be an active hunter – â€Å" â€Å"I can promise you my friends won't be on my list of victims,†Meredith said. â€Å"By the way,†she added, â€Å"Shinichi knows. I'm the one who's kept a secret from my friends al my life.† â€Å"Not any longer,†Elena said, and hugged her again. â€Å"At least there are no more secrets now,†Mrs. Flowers said gently, and Elena looked at her sharply. Nothing was ever that simple. And Shinichi had made a whole handful of predictions. Then she saw the look in the mild blue eyes of the old woman, and she knew that what was important right then was not truth or lies, or even reckonings, but simply comforting Meredith. She looked up at Stefan while stil hugging Meredith and saw the same look in his eyes. And that – made her feel better somehow. Because if it was truly â€Å"no secrets†then she would have to figure out her feelings about Damon. And she was more afraid of that than of facing Shinichi, which was saying quite a lot, real y. â€Å"At least we've got a potter's wheel – somewhere,†Mrs. Flowers was saying. â€Å"And a kiln in the back, although it's al grown over with Devil's Shoestring. I used to make flowerpots for outside the boardinghouse, but children came and smashed them. I think I could make an urn like the ones you saw if you can draw one for me. But perhaps we'd better wait for Mr. Saltzman's pictures.† Matt was mouthing something to Stefan. Elena couldn't make it out until she heard Stefan's voice in her mind. He says Damon told him once that this house is like a swap meet, and you can find anything here if you look hard enough. Damon didn't make that up! I think Mrs. Flowers said it first, and then it sort of got around, Elena returned heatedly. â€Å"When we get the pictures,†Mrs. Flowers was saying brightly, â€Å"we can get the Saitou women to translate the writing.† Meredith final y moved back from Elena. â€Å"And until then we can pray that Bonnie doesn't get into any trouble,†she said, and her voice and face were composed again. â€Å"I'm starting now.† Bonnie was sure she could stay out of trouble. She'd had that strange dream – the one about shedding her body, and going with Elena to the Island of Doom. Fortunately, it had seemed to be a real out-of-body experience, and not something she had to ponder over and try to find hidden meanings in. It didn't mean she was doomed or anything like that. Plus, she'd managed to live through another night in this brown room, and Damon had to come and get her out soon. But not before she had a sugarplum. Or two. Yes, she had gotten a taste of one in the story last night, but Marit was such a good girl that she had waited for dinner to have any more. Dinner was obtained in the next story about the Dustbins, which she'd plunged into this morning. But that contained the horror of little Marit tasting her first hand-caught piece of raw liver, fresh from the hunt. Bonnie had hastily pul ed the little star bal off her temple, and had determined not to do anything that could possibly get her on a human hunting range. But then, compulsively, she had counted up her money. She had money. She knew where a shop was. And that meant†¦shopping! When her bathroom break came around, she managed to get into a conversation with the boy who usual y led her to the outdoor privy. This time she made him blush so hard and tug at his earlobe so often that when she begged him to give her the key and let her go by herself – it wasn't as if she didn't know the way – he had relented and let her go, asking only that she hurry. And she did hurry – across the street and into the little store, which smel ed so much of melting fudge, toffee being pul ed by hand, and other mouth-watering smel s that she would have known where she was blindfolded. She also knew what she wanted. She could picture it from the story and the one taste Marit had had. A sugarplum was round like a real plum, and she'd tasted dates, almonds, spices, and honey – and there may have been some raisins, too. It should cost five soli, according to the story, but Bonnie had taken fifteen of the smal coppery-looking coins with her, in case of a confectionary emergency. Once inside, Bonnie glanced warily around her. There were a lot of customers in the shop, maybe six or seven. One brown-haired girl was wearing sacking just like Bonnie and looked exhausted. Surreptitiously, Bonnie inched toward her, and pressed five of her copper soli into the girl's chapped hand, thinking, there – now she can get a sugarplum just like me; that ought to cheer her up. It did: the girl gave her the sort of smile that Mother Dustbin often gave to Marit when she had done something adorable. I wonder if I should talk to her? â€Å"It looks pretty busy,†she whispered, ducking her head. The girl whispered back, â€Å"It has been. Al yesterday I kept hoping, but at least one noble came in as the last one left.† â€Å"You mean you have to wait until the shop's empty to – ?† The brown-haired girl looked at her curiously. â€Å"Of course – unless you're buying for your mistress or master.† â€Å"What's your name?†Bonnie whispered. â€Å"Kelta.† â€Å"I'm Bonnie.† At this Kelta burst into silent but convulsive giggles. Bonnie felt offended; she'd just given Kelta a sugarplum – or the price of one, and now the girl was laughing at her. â€Å"I'm sorry,†Kelta said when her mirth had died down. â€Å"But don't you think it's funny that in the last year there are so many girls changing their names to Alianas and Mardeths, and Bonnas – some slaves are even being allowed to do it.† â€Å"But why?†Bonnie whispered with such obvious genuine bewilderment that Kelta said, â€Å"Why, to fit into the story, of course. To be named after the ones who kil ed old Bloddeuwedd while she was rampaging through the city.† â€Å"That was such a big deal?† â€Å"You real y don't know? After she was kil ed al her money went to the fifth sector where she lived and there was enough left over to have a holiday. That's where I'm from. And I used to be so frightened when I was sent out with a message or anything after dark because she could be right above you and you'd never know, until – â€Å"Kelta had put al her money into one pocket and now she mimed claws descending on an innocent hand. â€Å"But you real y are a Bonna,†Kelta said, with a flash of white teeth in rather dingy skin. â€Å"Or so you said.† â€Å"Yeah,†Bonnie said feeling vaguely sad. â€Å"I'm a Bonna, al right!†The next moment she cheered up. â€Å"The shop's empty!† â€Å"It is! Oh, you're a good-luck Bonna! I've been waiting two days.† She approached the counter with a lack of fear that was very encouraging to Bonnie. Then she asked for something cal ed a blood jel y that looked to Bonnie like a smal mold of strawberry Jel -O, with something darker deep inside. Kelta smiled at Bonnie from under the curtain of her long, unbrushed hair and was gone. The man who ran the sweetshop kept looking hopeful y at the door, clearly hoping a free person – a noble – would come in. No one did, however, and at last he turned to Bonnie. â€Å"And what is it you want?†he demanded. â€Å"Just a sugarplum, please?†Bonnie tried hard to make sure her voice didn't quaver. The man was bored. â€Å"Show me your pass,†he said irritably. It was at that point that Bonnie suddenly knew that everything was going to go horribly wrong. â€Å"Come on, come on, snap it up!†Stil looking at his accounting books, the man snapped his fingers. Meanwhile Bonnie was running a hand over her sack-cloth smock, in which she knew perfectly well there was no pocket, and certainly no pass. â€Å"But I thought I didn't need a pass, except to cross sectors,†she babbled final y. The man now leaned over the counter. â€Å"Then show me your freedom pass,†he said, and Bonnie did the only thing she could think of. She turned and ran, but before she could reach the door she felt a sudden stinging pain in her back and then everything went blurry and she never knew when she hit the ground.

A Comparison between Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter and Arthur Miller’s Crucible

Both the Scarlet Letter and the Crucible describe the hysteria generated by the highly restrictive and stifling Puritanical society. I. The Scarlet Letter portrays the situation of a woman and man who have committed adultery and shows the consequences that they have to endure. 1. Hester Prynne wears a symbolical scarlet letter which is the mark of social opprobrium; because she confronts society openly, her spirit is freed from prejudice and she is able to perceive the truth about the society she lives in. 2. Arthur Dimmesdale is blinded by the corruption of the society and cannot see himself and his deed in a true light. Because he is not able to admit his sin and live in honesty he is destroyed by his own inner tumult and by the power of the social condemnation. II. The Crucible also describes a society in which witchcraft is used as a screen to cover the thirst of a Puritanical society for cruelty and revenge. 1. Abigail Williams and the other girls fling accusations at innocent people in the society, delighted by the power they acquire in this way. This shows the way in which the outward show of justice and goodness are used to cover sin and evil. There is a profound reversal of values in the Puritanical world. 3. John Proctor refuses to lie and live in falsehood and is among the few characters who try to uproot prejudice and reveal the truth to the society. After he and other two innocent people are executed, the society seems to realize its blindness and the injustice that hid beyond the witches’ trials. Both Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter and Arthur Miller’s Crucible are studies of religious superstition which caused a mass delirium in the seventeenth century Puritanical America. The witchcraft trials that took place at that time are an instance of the contagious effect that superstition had on society. Both the Scarlet Letter and the Crucible portray, at the same time, the society that made possible a number of crimes to be committed in the name of religion and good and several individuals that struggle with prejudice and mass superstition. The Puritanical society of the seventeenth century America attempted to stifle human passion and to numb imagination. The society’s severe condemnation of sin and of any sign of liberal thought placed a great constraint on the individual. In this suffocating environment, passion became a crime and superstition and prejudice rose rapidly. However, there was only a pretense at holiness and purity in the Puritanical society. In order to dissimulate their own passions, people began looking for sin in the other members of community. Inebriated by what they saw as their holy mission, which required them to purge the community of evil, the people of Salem began sacrificing other members of the society to satisfy their desire for punishment and revenge. Arthur Dimmesdale in the Scarlet Letter and John Proctor in the Crucible are similar in many ways. As it shall be shown however, Dimmesdale is tormented by his sin while Proctor, although he condemns himself for his mistake, sees the rampant spread of prejudice in Salem and understands that the sins of those that pretend holiness are much greater. Both of the stories therefore deal with mass delirium and show man to be prone on corrupting even religion and the principles of good and justice. Interestingly, both of the works are centered on the idea of adultery. Arthur Dimmesdale, a priest, commits adultery with Hester Prynne and has to live with this spot on his conscience while preaching holiness to others. John Proctor, an ordinary man living in Salem, has an adulterous relationship with Abigail Williams, the reverend Parris’s niece. In both cases, the adultery sets the scene for the social delirium that feeds on the suspicion of sin and evil inside the community. In the Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne gives birth to a little girl while her husband is missing from the village. While Hester’s sin is easily discovered by the eager society, Dimmesdale’s adultery remains hidden. This is symbolized by the letter â€Å"A†, the scarlet letter, that Hester has to wear over her chest for the rest of her life. Accusations of witchcraft soon arise as well, and the adulterous woman is fiercely banished from society. She ends up living on the outskirts of the town, where she raises Pearl on her own. The little girl is almost taken from her by the people of the town, but she manages to keep her with the help of Dimmesdale. Hester has openly admitted her sin and while she stubbornly displays her shame in front of the other people but Dimmesdale has to keep his true nature hidden. This is not only the result of circumstances however. Hester’s mind and her spirit allow her to be free. She believes in life and the possibility of good and happiness beyond sin. For Dimmesdale however, his sin is also the end and it foreshadows his death. His spirit cannot feel free anymore: as a Christian he knows that it is impossible to erase his past and leave his sin behind. All through the book, Dimmesdale struggles with an unmovable reality. He knows he is guilty and also knows that his sin cannot be redeemed through earthly penance, yet he still searches for a ray of light to illuminate him and guide him towards salvation. The permanent pretense and act he has to put in front of the community is what eventually crushes his spirit. He knows that he cannot transform himself so as to escape knowledge of his sin. Ultimately, Dimmesdale cannot think of acquiring a new identity and leaving the town, as Hester urges him to. Symbolically, he refuses to give up his name and thus escape the opprobrium of the community: â€Å"Give up this name of Arthur Dimmesdale, and make thyself another, and a high one, such as thou canst wear without fear or shame† (Hawthorne, 1980, p. 242). Because of the weight of social conventions and demands, a name is attached to the individual but does not necessarily speak of a person’s character. Dimmesdale’s dilemma is that, as a believer and an essentially good man, he is torn apart by the knowledge that he is a sinner and he can no longer perform truly good deeds. This is also why he is incapable of leaving the place as Hester had urged him: Dimmesdale is tied to the community because of his sin. He cannot escape thus the space that torments him and keeps him imprisoned. By contrast, Hester, who wears the scarlet letter as the symbol of sin and social rejection, has a passport to freedom. Because she is marginalized by the Puritanical society of Boston, she is able to enjoy a spiritual freedom that the other women cannot even imagine: â€Å"The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread† (Hawthorne, 1980, p. 300). On the other hand, Dimmesdale cannot free his mind and think beyond the conventional social standards and laws: â€Å"The minister †¦ had never gone through an experience calculated to lead him beyond the scope of generally received laws†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hawthorne, 1980, p. 300). The Scarlet Letter studies therefore the inner corruption and falsehood of the Puritanical society in America. The two main characters, who are united through their sin, reveal two different attitudes when confronted with the force of mass superstition and prejudice. Hester, who wears the burning scarlet letter on her chest, is able to free her mind. She is sees that the society is corrupt and that her sin is not a tremendous one. On the other, Arthur Dimmesdale has to wear the mark of his sin secretly. The symbolic scarlet letter is burning in his soul and the shame eventually destroys him. The letter that the two lovers wear is a symbol of the action of social force in an agitated time. It represents the thirst of the Puritanical society for exposing and cruelly condemning sin. Arthur Miller’s Crucible portrays the same Puritanical society in America in an even more revealing way. The title is very significant: on the one hand, the crucible is an allusion to the witches’ melting pot, the cauldron they use in order to prepare the spells; on the other hand, the crucible is a symbol for the Puritanical hysteria that was itself a melting pot where innocent people were sacrificed to satisfy social prejudice, prudishness and revenge. Miller depicts the development of the witchcraft hysteria with great artistry. Significantly, the social delirium is caused by Abigail Williams, a selfish and passionate young woman who cannot accept the fact that John Proctor rejects her. As the protagonists in the Scarlet Letter, Abigail Williams and Proctor have committed adultery. However, Proctor is very different from Dimmesdale. While he regrets his deed, he maintains his sobriety and reason in the midst of the Puritanical hysteria. He is a believer and he also loves his wife, and therefore discontinues the relationship with Abigail. When the young girl is caught in the forest with a gathering of women and people begin to suspect witchcraft, she saves herself and blames Tituba for having â€Å"compacted with the devil†. The hysteria begins as the girls who were caught dancing in the woods declare having been lured by witches. This generates a complicated web of accusations and subsequent trials. People are condemned with no visible proof when the girls state they have been lured by dark spirits. Under the outward show of purity, the society judges and condemns the innocent with no other proof than the persuasive acting skills of young girls who faint, scream and fall ill in the presence of those who are supposedly evil. In the end, all the people who had managed to maintain their rational thinking and their sanity during these proceedings are condemned. John Proctor and his wife are also waiting to be hanged, along with other honest people who perceive the intricate web of lying and deception and refuse to bend to it. Their spirits reject the demands of the society to betray the other people in order to satisfy their thirst for revenge: â€Å"You must understand sir, that a person is either with this court or must be counted against it, there be no road between. This is a sharp time now, a precise time – we live no longer in the dusky afternoon when evil mixed itself with good and befuddled the world. Now, by God’s grace, the shining sun is up†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Miller, 2003, p. 93 ) As the judge describes it, the Puritanical society attempted to destroy evil completely and maintain only the good. Interestingly, when John Proctor is faced with a similar dilemma to that of Dimmesdale, he reacts in the same way. The court tempts John Proctor to sign a declaration of guilt and to continue his life with his pregnant wife. The temptation is even greater as the two have just forgiven each other and rediscovered their love and their desire to live. Ultimately however, Proctor cannot sign his name to a lie: â€Å"Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! † (Miller, 2003, p. 167). Like Dimmesdale, he cannot adopt a false position in society in order to save himself and therefore chooses death over falsehood. Both the Scarlet Letter and the Crucible reveal the inner workings of the stifling Puritanical world. Attempting to destroy evil completely, the Puritanical world actually destroys justice and honesty.

15 Top Writing Guides for Novelists

15 Top Writing Guides for Novelists 15 Top Writing Guides for Novelists 15 Top Writing Guides for Novelists By Mark Nichol There comes a time when you have to put down other people’s books and start writing your own. But if you don’t feel you’ve gotten to that point yet, or you’d just like a shot in the arm (or a more definitive blow to another part of your anatomy), explore these excellent writing workshops in print: 1. The Art of War for Writers: Fiction Writing Strategies, Tactics, and Exercises Author and writing instructor James Scott Bell mirrors the ancient strategic guide The Art of War in this 2009 book, discussing reconnaissance (preparing to write), tactics (writing advice), and strategy (how to get published) in short, sharp bursts of wisdom and example. 2. Becoming a Writer Dorothea Brande was far ahead of her time when she wrote this book in 1934. Instead of writing a nuts-and-bolts guide, she focused on the qualitative aspects: artistry, self-actualization, the role of the unconscious mind, and more. 3. Elements of Fiction Writing: Beginnings, Middles Ends Nancy Kress’s 2011 book is more suited for aspiring writers than more seasoned ones, but it is full of suggestions and techniques for hooking the reader from the first sentence and sustaining interest from scene to scene all the way through to the end. 4. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life Anne Lamott’s autobiographical writing guide from 1995 isn’t for everyone, but it’s full of honest, humorous reflections about the writing life, with frank, funny admissions that give you permission to be human, too. 5. How to Grow a Novel: The Most Common Mistakes Writers Make Longtime novelist and fiction editor Sol Stein’s 1999 guide is predicated on his belief that writers must focus not on themselves but on their readers. Despite the apparently self-aggrandizing title, his 2000 follow-up, Stein on Writing: A Master Editor of Some of the Most Successful Writers of Our Century Shares His Craft Techniques and Strategies, is also highly recommended. 6. Make a Scene: Crafting a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time Jordan Rosenfeld’s 2007 guide to constructing a great story scene by scene analyzes examples representing a wide variety of styles and types of scenes, demonstrating how the narrative arc, character development, and other elements of fiction writing are all dependent on well-constructed vignettes. 7. Novelist’s Essential Guide to Crafting Scenes Novelist and writing instructor Raymond Obstfeld, like Rosenfeld, emphasizes how skillfully crafted scenes are the heart of a successful story. This comprehensive guide from 2000 is suitable for novices and experienced writers alike. 8. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft Though much of Stephen King’s 2000 tome is autobiographical, it also contains many useful tips for writers, from technical matters such as grammar to thoughts about character and plot. A valuable element is a section that includes a rough draft and an edited draft of one of his stories. Even if you consider King a middlebrow writer, you can’t deny that he is a master of his craft, and we should be so fortunate. 9. On Writing Well Veteran journalist, nonfiction writer, and writing instructor William Zinsser, a champion of word economy, writes, â€Å"Writing improves in direct ratio to the number of things we can keep out of it.† This book, first published in 1974 but timeless, reinforces that credo; also check out his more recent guide, Writing to Learn. 10. Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself into Print Unlike most guides on this list, Renni Browne and Dave King’s 1993 work focuses not on the craft of writing but on the next step: editing your own work. The authors discuss dialogue, interior monologue, exposition, point of view, and other elements of story, with examples, exercises, and checklists. 11. Steering the Craft: Exercises and Discussions on Story Writing Based on a writing workshop offered by legendary science fiction author Ursula K. LeGuin, this 1998 collection of discussions and writing exercises includes such tasks as eschewing punctuation or adjectives and adverbs, or halving a story’s word count. 12. The 3 A.M. Epiphany: Uncommon Writing Exercises that Transform Your Fiction The exercises in Brian Kitely’s therapeutic 2005 book are designed to help writers overcome emotional obstacles to productivity and get out of writing ruts. 13. Word Painting: A Guide to Write More Descriptively Poet Rebecca McClanahan, in this 1999 publication, provides writing instruction and writing exercises along with excerpts and advice from greater writers to help others develop their observational skills and descriptive powers. 14. Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within In this 1986 book, Natalie Goldberg suggests taking a Zen approach to writing, expanding on the concept of free writing to suggest what she calls writing practice. Like free writing, writing practice involves unstructured, uninhibited writing exercises, but is also about self-reflection. 15. Your First Novel: A Published Author and a Top Agent Share the Keys to Achieving Your Dream Writer Ann Rittenberg and agent Laura Whitcomb team up to teach you all you need to know about the writing process and the publishing business. Their 2006 guide offers lots of useful advice about how to prepare your story even before you begin to write, and how to submit proposals, decipher submission guidelines, and more. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:10 Rules for Writing Numbers and NumeralsIn Search of a 4-Dot EllipsisTreatment of Words That Include â€Å"Self†

Tearing, Ripping, and Rending

Tearing, Ripping, and Rending Tearing, Ripping, and Rending Tearing, Ripping, and Rending By Maeve Maddox English is rich in words to describe the act of cutting and pulling things apart, words like tear, rip, hack, slash, stab, and rend. Writers of violent fictionor journalists reporting the daily newscan choose just the right word to describe an injury: A taxi driver hacked an American to death after an argument over a $1.60 fare, Thai officials said late Sunday. [On a New York subway platform], a 24-year-old man was slashed with a Corona bottle in the neck, arms, and hands, and is recovering at Bellevue. Likewise, writers of romance are able to convey degrees of emotional pain by using the words figuratively. It’s the rejection that stabs you in the heart and crushes your soul. Here are six verbs to describe tearing, ripping, and rending: hack: This verb suggests heavy blows, possibly made in the heat of anger. tear: In modern usage, this is the verb we use with paper or another flimsy substance. If complete destruction is meant, we say â€Å"tear to pieces,† or â€Å"tear in pieces.† rip: This word can also be used of tearing paper, but carries a more forceful connotation. rend: A bit old-fashioned, rend has a Biblical ring to it. Mourners rend their garments; the Lord threatens to rend Solomon’s kingdom from him. The past tense is rent: â€Å"When the town of Sunnydale slid into the hellmouth on ‘Buffy,’ my fellow fans and I rent our hair and blubbered.† (OED example) NOTE: Rend is the verb in the expression â€Å"heart-rending†: â€Å"causing intense sorrow or emotional anguish.† Google Ngram Viewer indicates that the frequently heard eggcorn â€Å"heart-wrenching† first appeared in the 1950s. slash: This word suggests a sweeping blow with a sword, although in our day, a broken beer bottle will do. stab: This word implies the thrust of a short weapon, like a dagger. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Format a UK Business LetterPeople versus Persons5 Examples of Misplaced Modifiers

Political Corruption in America Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Political Corruption in America - Research Paper Example The American government has been observed as corruption free from the viewpoint of other countries. Many of these states have contended that such attribute is the reason why America has become a superpower. However, if one is to critically assess the history of the American government, it can be observed that U.S. before was in truth and in fact struggling to eradicate the prevalent problem of corruption in its local and national level of government. Considerably, there have been many political personalities who have been charged and arrested for violating the anti-corruption law. To cite, U.S. Congressman Duke Cunningham in 2005 was charged with having conspired to commit bribery, wire fraud and tax evasion (Rozen 15; Meyers 14). He then decided to resign and relinquish his post. Later on, he was convicted and sentenced to over eight years of imprisonment and ordered to pay a whopping amount of more than one million dollars in restitution (â€Å"Duke Draws† A01). Notably, thi s type of corruption has been referred to as political corruption which poses danger to democracy and good governance and undermines the legitimacy of the government and its democratic values (Gore). According to Heidenheimer and Johnston, â€Å"political corruption involves a public official who violates the public’s trust in a manner which harms the public interest by knowingly exploiting his or her office for clear personal and private gain in a way which runs contrary to the accepted rules and standards for the conduct of public office so as to benefit a third party† (42). In this sense, there are two ideas which can be derived from this definition, corruption and the culture of corruption. There is a culture of corruption if a public officer does a corrupt act because he or she expects to be given a reward.